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Women Entrepreneurs Created A Fake Male Cofounder To Dodge Startup Sexism

30 points by mamurphy 9y ago

mamurphy 9y ago
A reddit discussion thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/6wsj1h/these_women_entrepreneurs_created_a_fake_male/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/6wsj1h/the... . I didn't see this submitted here anywhere.
- steanne 9y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15127055 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15127055
  - mamurphy 9y ago
    How did you find that? I would love to know for future reference. I did a google site search with the title, then another with the URL, and both missed it.
    - steanne 9y ago
      at the top, in the line with the title, there's a link to the domain in parens. that'll bring you to a page with everything submitted from that domain.
    - DrScump 9y ago
      Entering "cofounder" in any HN search box brings it right up.
      - mamurphy 9y ago
        steanne's way worked for me -- I am unaware of any HN search boxes. What do you mean? This rabbit hole is getting pretty deep.
        steanne 9y ago
        very bottom of the page
jlebrech 9y ago
surely someone would be able to check the registered directors and see no mention of Keith Mann and were there one wouldn't it be illegal? Of course they just deploy that persona for problematic people that wouldn't be smart enough to cross reference company registration documents. This also reminds me of the show Remington Steel.
- EliRivers 9y ago
  I understand it's not necessary to register cofounders on such a register; just directors.
- jaclaz 9y ago
  >This also reminds me of the show Remington Steel. Exactly, and that happened in the '80's, and seemingly the idea of the show dates back to the late '60's (when it was reckoned to be too "advanced" for the time). But the use of a male nom de plume has much longer traditions in literature, George Sand or George Eliot to mane just two of them, and even the Brontë sisters originally published under the male names of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. What is surprising is that - in some occasions - it is still needed ...
  - jlebrech 9y ago
    no doubt in some industries it'll work the other way round too.
hoodoof 9y ago
How does fraud get to higher moral ground? Or are there no boundaries, limits and barriers in the battle against prejudice.
- lhopki01 9y ago
  Your first thought is that this is fraud not that it's crazy that this is still needed? Also where is the fraud? They haven't registered him anywhere legally.
zaqokm321 9y ago
“Okay, girls…” offended them ? I am not sure why, after all the startup scene is full of these feel good things like high 5s and free lunches. Would “Okay, ladies…” be offensive, or maybe “Okay, Maams…”. This is business, get over “Okay, girls…” as there will be a lot more to be offended and agitated about. I have seen men make other men cry in board meetings, and it wasn't as polite as this. If you are offended by the person you have hired then you set boundaries and fire them if they cannot be met. Basically they allowed that person to be in control. And control was what it was about, they allowed people to control them and then invented a fake persona which they could use. Heck this is something I've done in many meetings ... "Hey John, my CEO is not going to be happy" ... it's not about sexism it is about control. > “I think because we’re young women, a lot of people looked at what we were doing like, ‘What a cute hobby!’ or ‘That’s a cute idea.'” How about this happens to just about everyone, male and female.

30 points by mamurphy 9y ago

A reddit discussion thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/6wsj1h/these_women_entrepreneurs_created_a_fake_male/ https://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/6wsj1h/the... . I didn't see this submitted here anywhere.

steanne 9y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15127055 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15127055
- mamurphy 9y ago
  How did you find that? I would love to know for future reference. I did a google site search with the title, then another with the URL, and both missed it.
  - steanne 9y ago
    at the top, in the line with the title, there's a link to the domain in parens. that'll bring you to a page with everything submitted from that domain.
  - DrScump 9y ago
    Entering "cofounder" in any HN search box brings it right up.
    - mamurphy 9y ago
      steanne's way worked for me -- I am unaware of any HN search boxes. What do you mean? This rabbit hole is getting pretty deep.
      - steanne 9y ago
        very bottom of the page

jlebrech 9y ago

surely someone would be able to check the registered directors and see no mention of Keith Mann and were there one wouldn't it be illegal? Of course they just deploy that persona for problematic people that wouldn't be smart enough to cross reference company registration documents. This also reminds me of the show Remington Steel.

EliRivers 9y ago
I understand it's not necessary to register cofounders on such a register; just directors.
jaclaz 9y ago
>This also reminds me of the show Remington Steel. Exactly, and that happened in the '80's, and seemingly the idea of the show dates back to the late '60's (when it was reckoned to be too "advanced" for the time). But the use of a male nom de plume has much longer traditions in literature, George Sand or George Eliot to mane just two of them, and even the Brontë sisters originally published under the male names of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. What is surprising is that - in some occasions - it is still needed ...
- jlebrech 9y ago
  no doubt in some industries it'll work the other way round too.

hoodoof 9y ago

How does fraud get to higher moral ground? Or are there no boundaries, limits and barriers in the battle against prejudice.

lhopki01 9y ago
Your first thought is that this is fraud not that it's crazy that this is still needed? Also where is the fraud? They haven't registered him anywhere legally.

zaqokm321 9y ago

“Okay, girls…” offended them ? I am not sure why, after all the startup scene is full of these feel good things like high 5s and free lunches. Would “Okay, ladies…” be offensive, or maybe “Okay, Maams…”. This is business, get over “Okay, girls…” as there will be a lot more to be offended and agitated about. I have seen men make other men cry in board meetings, and it wasn't as polite as this. If you are offended by the person you have hired then you set boundaries and fire them if they cannot be met. Basically they allowed that person to be in control. And control was what it was about, they allowed people to control them and then invented a fake persona which they could use. Heck this is something I've done in many meetings ... "Hey John, my CEO is not going to be happy" ... it's not about sexism it is about control. > “I think because we’re young women, a lot of people looked at what we were doing like, ‘What a cute hobby!’ or ‘That’s a cute idea.'” How about this happens to just about everyone, male and female.